Friday, July 27, 2012

If you’re regular reader of this blog, follow me on Twitter, or know me out there in the real world, you’ll know that I’m very competitive. No matter what the sport, game or activity!

All this week Adidas have been running a daily #takethestage competition on their Twitter page to win tickets to the Opening Ceremony at the London 2012 Olympic Games! Each day a tweet has been posted and an advert has been in the Sun newspaper asking people to put on their official Team GB sweatbands, strike a different sporting pose and send the photo to the @adidasUK twitter account with the hashtag #takethestage.

In my endeavours to win I’ve been a Weightlifter, Boxer, Javelin Thrower and Cyclist. However I didn’t win. Congratulations to the other competitors though. I’m looking forward to watching the Opening Ceremony on the box tonight and seeing the parade of athletes as they make their way into the stadium.

It’s been a brilliant online marketing campaign and great fun in trying (in my case in vain) to find a winning sporting pose. Take a look at my efforts below and see what you think...

Full recovered from my pugilism I attempt to 'clean up' in the competition with a spot of Mop Javelin throwing

In what appears to be a race between a man in a 'Yellow Jersey', me and an Alsation I appear to have finished second while riding a 'bike' in Luton town centre for my Cycling Pose!

Many thanks to my long suffering wife, opponent, coach and photographer Emily for snapping away at my efforts.

I’ll be proudly wearing my Team GB sweatbands and enjoying watching the Olympic athletes in action as they take part on the biggest stage of them all. I'll be cheering them all whether they win, or just take part!

Upon registration at the gazebo next to the first tee we had to declare our Golf skill level for a handicap rating (beginner, intermediate, or advanced).

Emily was classified as a beginner as she doesn't play Pitch & Putt that often and were given handicaps of '12'. I said I would be an intermediate player as I'd never played a full-round of Golf, but do play a lot of Mini & Crazy Golf - after this raised a laugh from one of the chaps doing the registrations (quite cheeky of him, Grrr) I was given a handicap of '7'.

We then had a quick chat with Graham from Team Beds & Luton, the tournament organiser, grabbed our Putters & Pitching Wedges, had a very quick warm-up and set off for the first tee.

Emily Gottfried setting up a tee-shot under the flight path of London Luton Airport

It was great that the lovely summer weather decided to restart on the morning of the competition and there was some very nice sunshine and heat for our 9.30am tee-off time.

Emily Gottfried playing out of an old bunker, next to an old bunker at Stockwood Park

We had a very pleasant round on the very well maintained course. Thanks must go to the group playing ahead of us on hole 7 who warned us of the extra hazard that had been left in the cup of hole 2 by an overnight 'visitor' to the course!

There were some cracking recovery shots played during our round and some very nice putting too. The Greens on the Stockwood Park Par-3 course are brilliant. The course as a whole is very well maintained, and while there are some quite deep areas of rough that can be troublesome to play out of, when you are on the green it is an absolute pleasure to play.

Richard Gottfried playing hole 8 in the Luton Community Games Golf Competition at Stockwood Park Golf course

At the end of the round we signed our scorecard, posed for some photos and had another chat with Graham who gave us some further information about the new Get Back Into sports activities that are coming up soon - Golf is one of them and you get more info on the Get Back Into website. It was through Get Back Into that I got back into playing Dodgeball!

The results of the event came through via email following the event as there were tournament rounds being played from 8.30am until midday. After playing Golf we went for a wander to the Athletics Centre to see the other Luton 4 Life Community Games activities.

The overall winner in the 27 player competition was Shane Timoney with a round of 30 for a Net score of 18! The joint runners-up were James Brennan and Michael Scanlon who both scored a Net 21(-6).

I finished in a tie for 12th place and Emily in 23rd.

The competition was a nice way to spend a few hours and I'd definitely play in some more Pitch & Putt/Par-3 competitions at the course in the future. The Stockwood Park Mini/Par-3 Golf course is well worth a play if you're in the area. There is a good Driving Range facility at the club too, along with a bar and if you're so inclined a full 18-hole BIG Golf course.

I recently found out about The World Alternative Games 2012 that are taking place in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales from the 17th of August and the 2nd of September. It sounds brilliant.

The multi-sport event features a number of weird and wacky, bizarre, odd and obscure, fringe sports - some of which I have participated in over the years!

Looking at the website there will be a total of 49 events during the fortnight, including an opening & closing ceremony.

As an avid fan of alternative sports and games I've heard of a fair few of them, but others, like Underwater Rugby, The Mad Shopper and Welsh Crempog Race are new to me!

Some of the sports/championships on offer include the World Bathtubbing Championships, Gravy Wrestling, the International Under Water Hockey Championships, Conkers, Barrel Rolling and a Ditch Race! Of those sports I've heard of there will be events in Worm Charming, Rock Paper Scissors, Pea Shooting and Pooh Sticks.

The World Alternative Games is planned to become a bi-annual event, so if you can't make 2012, there's always 2014. Fingers crossed that Crazy Golf, Thumb Wrestling and Finger Jousting make the schedule in two years time...

Richard throwing a boule in a game of Pétanque at Luton Regional Sports Centre

We were welcomed by a chap called Alan from the Chiltern Region of the English Pétanque Association; his Polo shirt also denoted that he was the 'Team Manager'. After being introduced to some different sizes and weights of boules we got straight to having a few practice throws and were given an introduction to the rules of the game.

Emily playing Pétanque in the Luton Community Games

We’ve both previously played Boules, but never received instruction in the game so it was nice to be given the ‘pro’ rules and told about the different game formats and how to score properly by the experts.

Richard throwing a boule in a game of Pétanque

We then paired up with a club member, with Emily and Alan taking on me and a fellow called Ian. With each player given three boules and the aim to reach 13 points to win, we began playing up and down the terrain/piste (the pitch) and each time a team scored points the playing area changed. This was because the cosh (or jack) was thrown into place between 6-10 metres from the last position of it. Therefore one of the tactics is to work out where the ‘break’ on the terrain is and how much pace and/or spin is required for each shot – no two games will be played on the exact same playing surface or area! In our first game Emily and Ian picked up the win 13-9.

The Result of Game 1 of the Pétanque in the Luton Community Games

Emily sat out the next game as Ian and I once again teamed-up, this time facing Alan and a chap called Kier (I think). This match was shorter and after scoring a four Alan’s team had a good lead. After our lack of scoring since the middle of the previous match we managed to win back the throw of the cosh and score a few points, but unfortunately Ian and I continued our 100% losing streak with a 13-4 loss.

The Result of Game 2 of the Pétanque in the Luton Community Games

A great fun way to spend a late morning and early afternoon in Luton. We were told that there are 28 clubs in the Chiltern Region. There are also some novice competitions played during the season and the club also has teams in a couple of leagues, with some players also in the England and Great Britain teams. The team have club nights on Friday’s at Luton Regional Sports Centre and will be moving to the new Inspire sports centre in Luton when their current season on the existing terrain finishes.

"Spot the Boule" contest - click here for a hi-res image - and scroll down for the 'answer'

Pétanque is a great fun sport that is easy to pick up and play, but like so many sports and games, difficult to master. The team running the Luton Community Games Pétanque sessions were nice and friendly and I could have easily spent the entire day playing the game. I’d definitely play again and hopefully next time I'll pick up a win!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Luton Minigolfers Richard and Emily Gottfried competed in two Minigolf tournaments as part of the Oswestry Games multi-sport event on the 14th and 15th July. Richard won the BMGA & Putterfingers Oswestry Games Minigolf Championship on Sunday, while Emily collected a silver medal in the BMGA Oswestry Games Pro-Am Minigolf Classic team event on Saturday.

The Saturday BMGA Oswestry Games Pro-Am Minigolf Classic team competition was contested at the 18-hole Eternit-style Miniature Golf course in Oswestry’s Cae Glas Park and saw Emily and her team mates Ruth Burke and Christian Urbano end as runners-up to the team of Marc Chapman, Steve Sturdy and Chris Powell. Richard teamed up with John Moore and Ed Odametey and finished in third place.

The field of players at the BMGA Oswestry Games Pro-Am Minigolf Classic at Cae Glas Park

In the elite player competition on Sunday seven players competed over 36-holes on a Putterfingers 9-hole portable Crazy Golf course at Oswestry Leisure Centre. Richard won the BMGA & Putterfingers Oswestry Games Minigolf Championship with a total of 73(+1) after rounds of 40(+4) and a course record 33(-3). Newcastle’s John Moore was runner-up with a total of 77(+5) and Canterbury’s Marc Chapman was third with 78(+6). Emily finished in 6th place with a score of 89(+17).

Richard said “We had a wonderful three days in Oswestry and two great days of coaching events and competitions. I’m incredibly happy to have won an Oslympics gold medal in the BMGA and Putterfingers elite player contest. John Moore and Marc Chapman had a good lead over me heading into the second round but I was able to score nice and consistently on the tricky layout to set the course record and pick up a BMGA Tour victory. I’d like to thank the Oswestry Games organisers for including Minigolf in the programme of events at the Oslympics."

Emily said “The Oswestry Games was a fantastic event and I’m really happy that I was able to take part, as well as to come away with a couple of medals! The games, the park, the courses and the people in Oswestry were all very nice and welcoming and I enjoyed the whole weekend. The Minigolf tournaments were well organised and great fun, and it was nice to meet, advise and play Minigolf with local players and novices.”

The Minigolf competitions were part of a ten-day festival of sports and culture which saw over fifty events in 33 sports take place at the Oswestry Games. Richard and Emily were part of the coaching team delivering Minigolf training sessions with the British Minigolf Association. On Friday 13th July the BMGA team also took part in the Oslympics Open Quiz and won the bronze medal in a 14-team contest.

At the 2012 Oswestry Games Fun Day on Sunday 15th July the British Minigolf Association (BMGA) & Putterfingers Minigolf course was set-up at Oswestry Leisure Centre. One of the stalls next to the course was a display and 'have-a-go' activity from Qube – a charity based in Oswestry that serves the local community through a number of services including Community Transport, Arts and health, Volunteering Care and Community Facilities.

The "Peg Dollies 2012" Stand at the Oswestry Games Fun Day

The latest exhibition at the Qube Gallery is entitled ‘Peg Dollies 2012’ and will see thousands of Peg Dollies created with a sporting theme to ‘gather’ and ‘perform’ in an Opening Ceremony at Qube. I was told that a previous exhibition of Peg Dollies was made when the Qube centre opened ten years ago and that these creations will be returning as spectators in August! There will be a full crowd of Pegs Dollies created and displayed in the Qube Art Gallery in Oswestry, Shropshire between the 2nd of August and the 8th of September 2012.

Our Peg Dolly Kit

While we were at the Oslympic Fun Day our group of Minigolfers didn’t have time to create a Minigolfer on a Crazy Golf course for the exhibit, we did however get given a sporting Peg Dolly Kit to work with. And so Emily and I tried our hand at creating a Great Britain International Minigolfer.

I’m looking forward to seeing photos from the exhibition at Qube Oswestry. The Peg Dolly athletes we saw at the Oswestry Games looked brilliant – there were loads of different sporting activities depicted, with a great fencing duel taking place, athletics, a boxing match and a group of synchronised swimmers!

With five players in town ready for the weekend’s Minigolf action we split into two teams – with me, Emily and Marc ‘The Force’ Chapman making up the BMGA team of the ‘Crazy Minigolfers’ while Ruth Burke (who would later join our team) and Steve Sturdy were joined by some family members to make up another team.

After twelve intense rounds of sports and Olympic-themed questions the Crazy Minigolfers were announced as Oslympic Bronze Medal winners and were asked to take their place on the podium to receive their medals and bottles of Station Bitter from the event sponsors Stonehouse Brewery!

The quiz was a great event and a nice start to a brilliant weekend in Oswestry. Many thanks to the Oswestry Games organising committee, Oswestry Cricket Club, Stonehouse Brewery and Quizmaster for the night, BBC Radio Shropshire’sJames Bond!

The weather was rather ominous on the drive to Telford on Friday the 13th of July and the date did not help the feeling of dread that the course would not be there, or worse – be there, but not in a playable condition. This is the sort of thing that runs through your mind when you’ve visited and not played so many courses over the years!

When we arrived at Wonderland the weather was less than summery and it was tipping down with rain. We parked up, grabbed our umbrella and headed into the Theme Park to see if we could find the course. We started our search at the opposite side of the park and so took a wander through, passing a very big Giant on our way.

A Giant and Richard at the Wonderland Theme Park in Telford

When we arrived at the Crazy Golf kiosk we asked to play the course, but were advised not to as the rainy weather had made the course very slippery. After explaining that we had played in far worse weather conditions and that we would be incredibly careful navigating the course we were handed our putters, minigolf balls and a very nice scorecard for the Treasure Island 9-hole Crazy Golf course!

The Pirate-themed layout is intriguing as it has a mixture of hole types and designs, with some of the holes made of wooden planks, others are concrete with metal rails and others are a more ‘traditional’ felt.

Hole 2 - made of wooden decking!

Even in the wet conditions the course was fun to play and very tricky in places. While neither Emily or I scored a hole-in-one (this time) we were close on a few attempts. The killer hole for me was the 4th (Smugglers Cove) which saw me score a dreaded 7!

Playing a shot on hole 9 at Wonderland Telford

In the end the result of our Irregular Mini Golf Tour match-up saw only one shot separate the two of us – with Emily the eventual winner with a score of 29, to my 30!

Emily playing a shot on the Wonderland Treasure Island Crazy Golf

Richard playing a shot up a ramp and over a boat on the Wonderland Crazy Golf course

Richard playing the Wonderland Treasure Island Crazy Golf

If you’re a fan of Crazy Golf and/or Fairytales then the Wonderland Theme Park is the place for you to visit. The Crazy Golf is great fun, the park and its attractions look great and are very well maintained and the staff working there are incredibly nice and friendly.

A view of the Dunton Hills Miniature Golf Course in West Horndon, Essex

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﻿In addition to the regular Golf course and Driving Range at the Dunton Hills Golf Centre there is an 18-hole Miniature Golf course layout. And very good it is too.

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Playing onto a plateau

We arrived in West Horndon just as a storm had hit and there was enough lightning flashing about for us to not venture out on the course. Thankfully this summer downpour finished after five minutes and we were able to get out and play.

The Dunton Hills Miniature Golf Course, Regular Golf Course in the background and some ominous clouds!

In our Irregular Mini Golf Tour Match-up I shot a round of 48(+12) with a 24 on both the front nine and back nine. Emily scored a 51(+15), heading out in 27 and in with a 24.

The holes range from the 27 feet long 4th hole, to the 62 foot 17th hole. With a nice rebound I very almost scored a hole-in-one on the 17th in our match-up, with the ball rolling up to the lip of the hole, only to roll back a few inches :-( There were a few other “1.5’s”, but no holes-in-one scored.

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The 46 foot long16th hole at Dunton Hills Miniature Golf Course

It was a great 18-hole course, a tricky layout with some nice hills and plateaus. It's well priced at £3 a round for adults and we’d definitely play there again.

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Emily plays the second hole at Dunton Hills Miniature Golf Course in West Horndon, Essex

The logo of the Dunton Hills Miniature Golf course is very interesting indeed (a hen perched on a golf ball sat on a tee!) and you can see it on the very well made course scorecard. It’s one of the nicest scorecards we’ve collected on our travels.

The regular Golf course looks immaculate and there were some nice looking water hazards there. While we were there was a family of geese making themselves at home on the green next to the pond nearest to the Miniature Golf.

A total of 30 players were in action on the London-landmark and cake-themed Miniature Golf course and Richard finished in 6th place after two 9-hole rounds of 17(-1) for a tournament total of 34(-2). Emily scored rounds of 22(+4) and 20(+2) to finish in 20th place. In the ladies’ competition Emily finished 1st of six players.

Richard said “I’m pleased with my 6th place in the Crazy Golf Pro Championship. After Alan Norman stormed to an opening round of just 12 the field had its work cut out in getting close to really challenge for the title. But my consistent two rounds of 17 were good enough to see me gain another top-ten tournament finish. I’m looking forward to more rounds on Bompas & Parr’s very crazy Minigolf course over the next two months.”

Emily said “The course on Selfridges’ roof is very unique as well as great fun. The tournament was fantastic, with a lot of joviality and banter among all the players. It was great to see so many players, old and new, taking part. I really enjoyed the evening and although I would’ve liked to have scored better, I think it was brilliant tournament and would definitely play there again!”

The Crazy Golf Pro Championship winner was Oxford’s Michael Smith who defeated London’s Nick Sandqvist at the fourth extra-hole of a sudden-death play-off. Alan Norman finished in third place having also scored 28(-8) in regulation play, but lost out at the third hole of the play-off.

'Squire' Richard Gottfried and a comedy character at the Crazy Golf Pro Championship at Selfridges London

In the latest British Minigolf Association Tour Rankings Richard has moved up to 6th place of 53 players in the BMGA Season Only Rankings for 2012, Emily is in 40th place. In the BMGA Strokeplay Order of Merit Richard is up from 22nd place to 13th of 87 players, Emily is in 41st spot. In the BMGA Matchplay Order of Merit Richard is in 9th place of 55 players, with Emily in 37th position.